Fishing Column: Tips to follow while enjoying Fall outdoors

Martin Armstrong

Published 11:07 pm, Friday, October 19, 2012

It's fall and the weather is changing. Fall is a beautiful time to be outside, and with a few precautions, it offers different users the opportunity to enjoy the Connecticut's natural wonders. Especially now that the fall trout stocking is complete.

Whether you like to fish, hike, camp, horseback ride, mountain bike or hunt, it is a good idea to observe a few safety precautions while outdoors. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is offering fall outdoor safety tips for outdoor enthusiasts.

Here are some basic safely tips that all outdoor users should follow:

- When you use the outdoors, let someone know where you plan to be and when you will return.

- Familiarize yourself with the area you will be using and know the activities that occur there.

- Wear brightly-colored clothing.

- If you see another person while in the woods, whether a hiker, hunter, biker or horseback rider, call out to them to make them aware of your location.

- Respect property rights. Remember, all users are required to obtain permission from the owner before entering private property. For many hunters, written permission must be carried while on private property.

- Report violations of state laws and regulations to the DEEP Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police at 860-424-3333. You may also use the "Turn-in-Poachers" Hotline at 1-800-842-HELP, where callers can choose to remain anonymous and receive cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the violator.

For fishermen and boaters some of these recommendations are very important. But here are some other safety tips to keep in mind when you're outside.

I think that the most important precaution you can take is to make sure you bring your cell phone with you. Make sure the phone is fully charged and if you are going on or near the water, wrap the phone in a plastic bag. A plastic sandwich bag with a zip-lock is perfect. You never know when that phone can save your or someone else's life.

Also very important, again in my opinion, is to bring a dry change of clothing with you. Most fishermen have slipped into a lake or stream at one time or another and gotten soaked. That's not really a big issue when it's summer but now that it is getting cooler a change of clothing can be a lifesaver.

For boaters, make sure your lifejackets and other floatation devices are in good condition. And make sure you have enough lifejackets for everyone onboard your craft.

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Last week was a good one for Connecticut anglers. We have received lots of reports of good bluefish, blackfish and false albacore angling plus two very nice walleye catches.

Bob at Fisherman's World reported that Keith Bonenfant and Bill Wilkes fished the Saugatuck Reservoir last week and both anglers were rewarded with some nice walleye. Keith caught a hefty 24-incher using a live shiner for bait. Bill reeled in a 17-inch walleye, also on a live shiner.

Jason Saunders and John Poly returned to Cockenee Reef last week. They duplicated their efforts of the week before by catching another four albies while fishing on Cockenee Reef. Deadly Dick lures is the top choice of local anglers wanting to catch false albacore.

The folks at Fisherman's World also reported that Capt. Ian Devlin caught several albies while fishing south of the Norwalk Islands. The fish weighed between 4 and 8 pounds and were taken in 25 to 40 feet of water. Ian was using Deadly Dick lures.

Joe Horvath caught the biggest albie reported last week. He stopped by Pete's Place Bait and Tackle and weighed in an 8-pound false albacore. Joe also caught a 5-pound blackfish. The ablie was caught using a Deadly Dick lure and the blackfish was taken on a green crab.

Blackfish are biting like crazy. Last week Billy, aka John, Ingraham of Sportsman's Den took Crosby Bean blackfish angling at Tod's Point. Together they caught and released about 50 blackfish weighing up to five pounds. They kept four fish to take home for dinner. All of the fish were taken using Asian crabs.

Matt Pugney also did well at Tod's Point last week. He caught several undersized blacks but kept a couple of 4-pounders. Matt was using green crabs for bait.

Pete Jarboe caught some nice blackfish while fishing around the Norwalk Islands. His largest fish weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces and was taken using green crabs.

Juan Lopez did well while fishing from shore at the end of Shippan Point. He caught a couple of blackfish including an 18-incher using green crabs.

Gary Feighery fished off Stamford a couple of times last week. Early in the week he fished the East Branch of Stamford Harbor at night and caught several bluefish in the 3 to 4-pound range. On Thursday morning he fished off Shippan Point and caught a limit of harbor blues.

The Unknown Angler caught a 36-inch striped bass while fishing from shore at Belle Haven in Greenwich. He also caught some schoolie bluefish. All of the fish were taken on fresh bunker.

Paul McFarland caught several striped bass while fishing from Cummings Park. His largest fish measured 33 inches. He was using live bunker and Kastmaster lures.